Our goal, as always, is to thrive, not simply survive:
We remain committed to promoting and building the
40 Developmental Assets among our community’s
young people through active collaboration with the
Town of New Canaan, the public schools, and other
agencies serving young people.
The YMCA continues to invest in its facility. We
recently opened our new Mind-Body Center,
completed construction on our new school-age
playground as well as the HVAC project in the Valles
Pool, and installed ultraviolet water filtration systems
in both pools in
order to reduce the
amount of chlorine
used.

E

nriching all people in spirit, mind and
body . . . is the New Canaan YMCA’s mission

on behalf of the community we are proud to
serve. While the past year has tested many individuals
and organizations, we are pleased to report that the Y has
again successfully delivered on its mission of community
service.
In spite of the uncertain economic conditions, the New
Canaan YMCA has retained a steady fiscal position. With
reports of the closure of local businesses—and two
YMCAs in Connecticut—our board and staff have
worked diligently to contain costs without sacrificing the
quality of our members’ experience.

The YMCA and
Outback Teen
Center have entered
into a partnership
and management
agreement to better
serve the town’s
teens through a
sharing of
operational
strengths.
We are grateful that
philanthropic support of the Y remains strong. The
YMCA’s 12th annual golf outing at Sleepy Hollow
Country Club, chaired by Chris Pohle and Rick
Selvala, raised nearly $60,000 to benefit special needs
programming. The 2008 All Kids Are Our Kids
annual support campaign, under the leadership of
Brian Hetherington and Susan Lovejoy, raised more
than $450,000.

The Y is entering its third year of partnership with
Facing the Future, a nonprofit organization serving
the Kenyan slum of Kibera, and we are planning a
return service learning trip.
Under the leadership of our Board Finance
Committee, we refinanced the loan on our 2003
renovation to obtain more favorable rates.
In 2008, the YMCA awarded approximately
$238,000 in financial assistance for membership and
programs, up 23% from 2007.
Now, more than ever, the YMCA is dedicated to serving
the community, and our volunteers and staff continue to
explore new ways to deliver on our mission.
Yours in service,

PETER SKAPERDAS
Board President

CRAIG PANZANO
Executive Director

2,150 kids learned to swim
at the New Canaan YMCA this
past year.
The Y served more than 125

children and adults with special

needs through mainstream and
specialized programming.

More than 450 young people
built healthy lifestyles and
leadership skills from
participation in competitive

aquatics.

300 children enriched their

spirits and developed fundamental
learning skills through YMCA
Did you know:
The Y provided nearly $91,000 in
membership scholarships to 314 people in
need.

arts and humanities
programming.

Kids feel good.

T

he New Canaan YMCA is a
community resource for building
strong, healthy kids. Aquatics,
wellness, sports, and humanities
programming—as well as social, volunteer,
and employment opportunities—all
provide a foundation for building
Developmental Assets among young
people. Learn more about assets at
www.search-institute.org.

Congratulations to
Lee Ana Greywacz,

2008 winner of the
YMCA’s All Kids Are
Our Kids college
scholarship.
Supported by the Y’s
annual support
campaign, the
scholarship was
established in 2007 to enable a high school senior to pursue
higher education. A one-time award of $5,000 is granted
each year based on academic potential, as well as volunteer
and work experience.
“Lee Ana is a real Y kid,” explains Executive Director Craig
Panzano. “She’s been a program participant, volunteer, and
staff member and truly embodies the spirit of the
scholarship.”
A graduate of New Canaan High School, where she was
captain of the Gymnastics team, Lee Ana attends Norwalk
Community College and works in the childcare and camp
programs at the Y.

Did you know:
Summers to Remember: 575 children
made friends and had fun at YMCA camp
last year.

In 2008, nearly 50 members of our community
in financial need received $24,000 in YMCA
program assistance.

Research conducted by the American
Camp Association shows that campers
and counselors derive important social
and emotional benefits from
participation in a summer camp
setting.

“

The YMCA’s philosophy of
teaching respect, teamwork,
helping others, and responsibility
are what makes their camp a very
positive experience for the children
who attend.”
-ANNA FAROOQUI
Parent of YMCA camper

A Place for Everyone: We strive to serve all
members of our community, and individuals with
special needs are encouraged to participate in any
program offering, with the assistance of a YMCA
aide if needed. In addition, the New Canaan
YMCA has a variety of specific special needs
programs if that is better suited to a specific
participant’s needs.
Middle School Madness: Last year, 375
youth in grades 5-8 enjoyed safe,
supervised Saturday nights at the Y.
Events included DJ dance parties, March
Madness basketball, working out,
swimming, and games.

Did you know:
In 2008, the Y awarded $80,000 in summer
camp scholarships to 83 children.

Families feel good.

T

he New Canaan YMCA helps to
build strong families through quality
childcare and nursery school
programs where children develop positive
behavior, social skills, and self-esteem. Our
NAEYC-accredited Child Development
Center serves more than 120 working
families with children from infancy through
sixth grade.

Did you know:
In 2008, the Y awarded $43,700 in childcare
assistance to working families.

“

Thank you for helping Morgan and all her fellow
“princesses” to have a memorable three years in
the Y-Princesses program. It was with great
reflection that I looked at them all playing on the
grounds of our
“estate” Saturday
night at the final
outing. There
was no
television. No
computers.
Nothing but the
kids’ boundless
imagination and
energy. It is still
possible to manufacture fun from nothing other than
great weather and wide-open spaces. I know that
Morgan will always have a warm place in her heart for
great friends and caring dads, who, for awhile, were able
to step away and remember what it was like to once
again be young and wondrous.”
-CHRIS WALLING, Puyallup tribe member (and one of 922
participants in the Y-Guide and Princess Program)

“

I believe that success is directly proportionate to one’s personal wellness. Taking
care of your physical, mental, and emotional
well-being is the start of achieving goals . . .
and as the area’s representative Household CEO,
I spend time at the New Canaan YMCA for
optimal health and wellness.
-DEVON FLEMING, author, on-air personality,
community volunteer, mother, wife and YMCA Member
for 13 years.

T

o support all individuals in their pursuit of wellbeing in spirit, mind, and body, the New
Canaan YMCA has collaborated with YMCA of
the USA in a bold initiative called Activate America.
This initiative calls for a reinvention of the YMCA
experience, both internally and externally, as we seek to
engage “health seekers”—those children, teens, adults,
and families whose successful pursuit of health requires
supportive relationships and environments.
The New Canaan YMCA strives to provide a
welcoming, affirming atmosphere where all individuals
can feel comfortable and receive the support they need
to improve their overall wellness. We have been
involved in the Capacity Building phase of this
initiative and have dedicated resources toward staff
training and other operational changes in order to
transform itself to better serve our community, and to
promote health and well-being.

Did you know:
Wellness for All: Every member of the family
can find support in their pursuit of health and
well-being at the New Canaan YMCA.

s a community service organization, the New Canaan
YMCA is proud to support many human service
organizations and educational groups to address the
common needs of individuals of all ages in the area. The following
are some of the agencies and organizations with which we have
partnered or supported:
A Home
AAU Basketball
ABC House of New Canaan
Boy Scouts of America
Court Community Service Program
Exchange Club of New Canaan
Fairfield County Sports Commission
Getabout of New Canaan
Girl Scouts of America
The Greens at Cannondale
Horizons
Lions Club of New Canaan
National Charity League
New Canaan Ambulance Corps
New Canaan CARES
New Canaan Chamber of Commerce
New Canaan Early Childhood
Directors Association
New Canaan Football
New Canaan Middle School Choices
New Canaan Police Department
New Canaan Public Schools
New Canaan Red Cross

New Canaan Social Services
Norwalk Hospital
Nursing and Home Care
Outback Teen Center
Project Friendship
Rotary Club of New Canaan
Saxe Mentoring Program
South Avenue Cottage
St. Luke’s School
Stamford Hospital
STAR
Toys for Tots
Voices of September 11
The Volunteer Center of
Southwestern Fairfield County
Waveny Care Center
Young Women’s League of New
Canaan
Youth Adult Partnership Board

“

It’s hard to put into words
the gratitude I have for not
only the YMCA’s financial
assistance program, but for
the emotional support for myself
and the loving support my
children have received year after
year in your remarkable camp
program. Our family is one of
your greatest fans!
Thanks to you and to the entire
Board and Camp Y-Ki staff (and
all the donors) who make this
wonderful program possible.
You are shaping the lives of
some very special children.
- YMCA FINANCIAL AID
RECIPIENT, AND PARENT OF A
SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD.

New Canaan YMCA 2008
Community Partners
Working together for our community’s youth:
the YMCA/Outback partnership

T

his past year, the New Canaan YMCA and
Outback Teen Center came together with an
innovative partnership and management
agreement to better serve New Canaan’s teens. While
the Outback has had many successes over the past
eight years, the boards of both the Y and the Outback
agreed that the time was right for a collaboration
between the two organizations.
Our shared vision is for the Outback to be a hub for
youth activities, including a wider array of after-school
programs for middle- and high-school students—as
well as activities and special events to include field
trips, community service programs, teen mentoring,
homework help, or simply stress-free down time.
Since January 2009, YMCA staff member Lacey
Arndt has been in the role of Outback Director,
overseeing programming and staffing. With a proven
track record at the YMCA and an expertise in youth
programming, Lacey is already bringing a new level of
participation to Outback activities. Additionally, the
Outback’s vibrant student governing board has
broken attendance records with several successful
middle- and high- school events.
“I enjoy empowering the kids to provide direction

and leadership to
the happenings
at the Outback,”
says Ms. Arndt.
“It’s really their
place to be, and
their role in the
process is
helping to build
Developmental
Sharing Strengths: Town Council
Assets in our
Chairman Mark DeWaele, 2008 Outback
community.”
Board President Julie Amos, Y Executive
Director
Craig Panzano, Outback Director
Says First
Lacey
Arndt, and First Selectman Jeb
Selectman Jeb
Walker
announce
the partnership and
Walker, “This
management
agreement
between the
is a banner day
YMCA and the Outback.
for the
Outback Teen
Center and the families of New Canaan. I congratulate the
YMCA for their efforts to make this agreement happen.”
Town Council Chairman Mark DeWaele adds, “The YMCA is
a fabulous community asset, and their work with the Outback
will further enhance the vitality of the Teen Center.”

Doing the most
$100,000+

$2,500 - 4,999

Anita and G. Thomas Hargrove

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Barnard
Chris Boehmcke
Jack Casey
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Chaisson
Mr. and Mrs. James Connelly
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Dan Crowley
Susan and Robert Cruickshank
Ernst & Young
Exchange Club of New Canaan
Monica and Frank Granito
T.J. and Karen Letarte
Susan and Stuart Lovejoy
Mark McGoldrick
William and Wendy Pratt
Patricia and Ward Reighley
Kathryn and David Tohir
The Town of New Canaan
Alicia and Bob Wyckoff
The Zehner Family

$25,000+
James and Jennifer Forese
Jane and Brian Hetherington
The Arnold and Douglas Karp Families

$10,000 - 24,999
Kate and Peter Kend
New Canaan Community
Foundation
Susan and Eric Sheinberg
Kathy and Peter Skaperdas
Sue and David Squier
Kathleen and Kenneth Tropin
United Way of New Canaan
Carol and Jean-Paul Valles

Girl Power: The Y’s Aquianas Synchronized Swimming
team began as a small group of nine swimmers and has
grown to 80 girls—from beginning-level swimmers in five
Age Groups all the way to Elite National Team level
swimmers. A demanding and creative sport, Synchro also
builds self-esteem and teamwork in young women.

n 2007, the New Canaan YMCA embarked on an exciting
partnership with Facing the Future, a child development center
serving the Kenyan slum of Kibera. Kibera is Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest slum,
with more than one million people living in an area the size of Central
Park. The people of Kibera have none of the things that we take for
granted on a daily basis, such as
clean water, plumbing, trash
removal, medical facilities, and
food. There are not enough
schools, childcare, and early
childhood education programs available to meet the needs of all of the
children in Kibera, where 70% of the population is under the age of 14.
Founded by Simeon Ajigo, former head of
the Kibera YMCA, Facing the Future
provides early childhood education, primary
education, a youth leadership program, and
feeding to more than 100 young people.
Many of these children receive their only
daily meal at Facing the Future. In addition
to sponsoring the feeding program, the
New Canaan YMCA has helped provide classroom furnishings, school
uniforms, other supplies, and hope to these young people.

Did you know:
$200 will feed one child in Kibera for an
entire year.

THE NEW CANAAN COMMUNITY YMCA
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
DECEMBER 31, 2008 AND 2007
_